The Thanksgiving weekend cold snap has since past and some unseasonably warm and calm early December days have arrived. The pleasant days have given rise to an abundance of freshwater and saltwater angling opportunities across the region, however, more seasonably cold weather is in the forecast for next week. In the salt, the winter cod bite has started to take off in Rhode Island waters and the Atlantic herring bite is beginning to pick up steam in Long Island Sound. The tidal rivers across Rhode Island and Connecticut are loaded with holdover striped bass and trout fishing has improved greatly following the heavy rains of last week.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet of Narragansett has taken full advantage of the pleasant temperatures and calming winds this week and has been sailing nearly everyday since the weekend. The cod bite has finally started to hit its stride and many customers were able to walk away with multiple keepers each trip. The best part about these early season trips is the increased opportunity to walk away with a mixed bag of the best that Rhode Island has to offer right now. Along with cod, keeper sea bass in the 3- to 5-pound range have been plentiful and a few jumbo scup and ling have shown up as well.
Captain Mike, of the Lady Francis, had a less than stellar weekend of blackfishing but went back at it and was rewarded with a very steady pick of keeper fish on Wednesday. The upcoming forecast is a good one, and it is a safe bet that the Lady Francis has a few more strong blackfish trips ahead of her.
Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, indicated that these early December warm days are generally a great time to target schoolie striped bass as they flood into the Providence River to holdover for the winter. That trend has proved accurate once again as Steve has had multiple reports of excellent schoolie fishing in Providence from the Hurricane Barrier to Hemingway’s Restaurant. The bass have been fairly aggressive and have been hitting the usual small plastics on light jigheads, as well as small plastic swimming plugs fished on a slow retrieve. Steve does not believe that the saltwater action is finished just yet as he had a few excellent nights of surfcasting the beaches from Charlestown to Matunuck just before Thanksgiving. A lot can change in a week, but Steve will be heading out front the next few evenings and believes that the action will still be decent along that stretch.
In late October, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management stocked 6,000 trout across the state’s rivers, streams and ponds. The strong rains last week brought river and stream levels back up to normal and the trout fishing across the state is benefitting. According to River and Riptide Anglers in Coventry, the most consistent trout action remains in the Big River and the Wood River. For more information pertaining to regulations and fishing access be sure to check out the dem.ri.gov.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Blackfish reports have slowed to a halt in eastern CT and it seems that most anglers have been getting their fix in the Thames River Basin. Jack, at The Fish Connection in Preston, reported that the strong salmon fishing in the Shetucket River has gotten even stronger since the rains, specifically in the Baltic stretch of the river and around Sandy Beach. Over the past few seasons the holdover striped bass fishing in the Thames River has been sub-par but early indications this season are showing that it may be back up to full strength. Reports of stripers have been coming in from the mouth of the river all the way up to Norwich Harbor, with the strongest concentrations staging up in the west side of the harbor down to the Route 2A bridge. Large schools of bass are also said to be hanging in front of Mohegan Sun with a good number of keeper-sized bass showing up after dark.
The Connecticut River coves and marinas continue to give up some nice northern pike, according to Andrew, at Fishin Factory III in Middletown. Over the holiday weekend Andrew had multiple customers coming in for bait, as a large shiner fished under a slip bobber remains the best approach for pike. Andrew also reported that the calico bite has been decent in the coves with a pinhead shiner on a small jig being the bait of choice.
Rich, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that the blackfish bite has certainly slowed down but some anglers have still been successful targeting big white chins in deep water. The striped bass bite has been more consistent with plenty of schoolie to small-keeper sized fish hanging around the Norwalk Islands and 11B. Over the past few days atlantic herring have started to show up in Norwalk Harbor in much more promising numbers. Herring anglers haven’t been filling up their buckets just yet but most are reporting 8 to 12 herring per outing and if history proves correct that number should be moving up quickly.
Rich also reported that he has been fishing the Housatonic with some regularity and is seeing great concentrations of stripers from the mouth all the way up to Shelton and Derby. Most of these fish remain on the small side but some quality keepers up to 35 inches have been showing up. Anglers fishing after dark continue find more success with larger bass than the daytime crew. T C Marine Bait and Tackle in Shelton has reported similar results in the Housatonic with anglers scoring good bass throughout the river. While keeper-sized fish may not be commonplace they have certainly not been a rarity.
The Farmington River was at 260 CFS in the catch and release area prior to last week’s rain and is now at an even more optimal level. Upcountry Sportfishing in New Hartford reported that Winter/Summer Caddis (18-22) have been on the water in the morning and fishing has been good during the day with Blue Wing Olives (sz 20-24) and Midges (sz 22-32).
Best Bets for the Weekend
Whether you’re an avid ice angler like myself, waiting for the deep freeze to set in, or you’re looking to squeeze a few more trips in before you pack your gear away and hibernate for the winter, early December still has a lot to offer. If you are looking to have some fun but still want to pack the freezer, be sure to check out the sailing schedule of the Francis Fleet in Rhode Island. If you’re looking for some great light-tackle action, schoolie stripers can be found in just about all our large tidal rivers and early December proves to be the best time to go after them. If you’re a fly-fisherman who is not ready to quit just yet, trout and salmon options are plentiful across both states.